(I’m working at a take away counter at a corporate place that serves ‘Pan-Asian Cuisine’. A family comes in a couple days every week.)

Customer: “We want four of the sweet & sour with chicken and the steamed white rice. Make sure the chicken has no sauce, and no vegetables; we just want the plain chicken and rice. And four cokes, please.”

Me: “Would you like ketchup and fries with that?”

Customer: “Oh, do you have those?”

Me: “No, I was just kidding. This is an Asian restaurant.”

(After the meal, the father of the family comes back to me.)

Customer: “Hey, I’ve been thinking about it the whole meal, and I just didn’t understand the joke you made. I’m really good with knock-knock jokes, but I didn’t get it. Can you explain it to me?”

Me: “Sorry, I was just kidding because… well… I was just thinking it was funny you come to a restaurant that’s supposed to be spicy and exotic, but you always order the most extremely bland thing you can. It was kind of an American joke. And to be honest, I’m puzzled why you spend such a large amount eating out every week on only a few bowls of steamed white rice and chicken. You know, when I was really poor, I used to eat the same thing because you can get rice and chicken at the grocery store for less than twenty bucks a week. If I had that much money to spend on food, I’d be eating… well, something else. Mixing it up once in a while.”

Customer: “Hmmm. I guess you have a point.”

(I was wondering if I should have just kept my mouth shut, and hoping I didn’t lose their business. A few days later, the family comes in as usual, only they spend some time looking at the menu before they approach my counter.)

Customer: “Hi, we’d like to get four of the Thai coconut curry with chicken.”

Me: “No way, really?!”

Customer: “Yep. And we would like that with no sauce or vegetables, just steamed white rice.”

Me: “Oh. Why did you ask for the Thai instead of the Sweet & Sour plain like you usually do?”

Customer: “I thought about what you said and you’re right, we wanted to mix it up a little!”